Tamper-proof coin package and method of making same



March 5, 1968 H. B. SILENE ET AL 3,371,851

TAMPER`PROOF COIN PACKAGE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed May 16, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 /a /j /5 [2/ coul,

F/G. 7.' L58( INVENTORS: HAROLD B. s1 LENE BY ROGER E. HAAs ATTORNEY March 5, 1968 H; B. slLl-:NE ET Al. 3,371,851

TAMPER-PROOF COIN PACKAGE AND METHOD OF' MAKING SAME Filed May 16, 196

l, C j

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 7/ 5 L IU F l 6. L j i ,i //5--|I MC N58 ,f--frM` 64 i t JOHN sPoT \59 f I 5 GEN'L DEI.. W62

i gcAPlTol. CITY' n 1 ATTORNEY March s, 196s g, B, SILENE ET AL 3,371,851

TAMPER-PROOF COIN PACKAGE AND METHOD OF' MAKING SAME Fileduay 16, 196e 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ./BRIN sPoT jGEN'l. DELIV. j

l INV-ENTORS: F I6. /Z .K nHARQLD B. SILENE BY ROGER E. HAAs Y ATORNEY nited States Patent Ohhce 3,371,851 Patented Mar. 5, 1968 3,371,851 TAMPER-PROOF COIN PACKAGE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Harold B. Silene, Dana Point, and Roger E. Haas, Temple City, Calif., assignors to 99 Coin Company, San Clemente, Calif., a limited partnership of California Filed May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 550,220 7 Claims. (Cl. 229-929) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A coin package and the method of making the package involving an outer envelope comprising a at tube folded double so as to have a single exterior flap sealable across a single access opening and enclosing a coin holder with an aperture for a coin. The coin holder and coin in the aperture are shielded by a transparent membrane on obverse and reverse sides of the coin such that the coin is visible when the holder and coin are placed in the tubular doubled envelope subsequent to the incising of a Window through the envelope after the envelope has been stamped and postmarked.

The invention relates to coin holders and more particularly to method for sealing and dating a tamperproof coin holder.

For many years philatelists have paid a premium for covers or envelopes which are postmarked on the day of the rst issue of the new stamp on the envelope. Recent developments have made available to numismatists certain coins of diiferent nations in or on covers or envelopes bearing a postmark date coinciding with the date of rst issue of the coin from the mint. Previous holders for such coins have been expensive to combine with the coin, have been subject to tampering and afford opportunity to damage the coin. We have invented a coin holder and a method of packaging which not only protects the coin from deterioration but which includes the coin in a holder which, when sealed, precludes surreptitious changing of the coin within the holder while still displaying the obverse and reverse faces of the com.

The method of the invention contemplates the steps of placing the coin in a holder card so that both faces of the4 coin are visible, folding a sheet of cover material such that it forms an envelope having a single exterior flap, and aixing a postage stamp to the ap such that a gummed portion of the stamp protrudes `beyond the flap. The flap is then closed against the body of the cover and a post oice date and cancellation mark are aixed on the body of the cover, the stamp and a portion of the exterior flap. An aperture is formed through the walls of the cover body, the ap is opened and the coin and card inserted into the cover with the coin covered on both faces by a light-transmitting membrane such that the obverse and reverse surf-aces of the coin are visible through the cover aperture, and the exterior flap is then permanently sealed to the cover.

The coin package of the invention contemplates an envelope-like holder cover with a single access opening and having an address area-adapted for removal. The address area may be bounded by perfo-rations which extend through all the flat Walls of the cover. A single exterior gummed ap covers the access opening of the cover. A

` coin mounting card retains a coin in a card recess to display both obverse and reverse faces of the coin. A lighttransmitting membrane surrounds the card and the coin when said card and coin are within the cover such that the coin is in registry with the address area of the en` velope cover.

In the preferred embodiment the area Within the perforations on one face of the cover bears the name and address to whom the cover is mailed In most instances this will be the name of the person receiving the dated and cancelled envelopes from the: Post Oice immediately upon their 'being imprinted. The membrane covered coin and card can then be placed within the cover envelope and the single exterior ap sealed about the envelope opening subsequent to the time of cancellation of the envelope. Alternatively, the cover can be punched through in the area about the address such that a through opening is created in the envelope just prior to receiving a coin and card. Either method enables the coin dealer to place first day of issue coins within covers bearing the first date of issue without the necessity of risking physical damage to the coins as if they were processed through the Post Ofce and the mailing system. The method also relieves the Post Office of the responsibility of actual dispatch and delivery of the valuable coinage enclosed within the holder. Subsequently acquirers of the rst day, rst issue coin are assured that the coin placed within the envelope by the coin dealer is the coin which they receive.

The cover envelope of the invention, having a single exterior glued Hap, contrasts with the conventional en' velope which has two or more exterior seams subject to manipulation in addition to the ordinary sealing ap which covers the envelope opening. These and other advantages of the invention are apparent in the following detailed description and drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of an empty cover envelope in accordance with the invention as mailed through the Post Ofiice;

FIG. 2 illustrates a holder card in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a holder card containing a coin;

FIG. 4 is a view of the holder car-d and coin being combined with a transparent sheath;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the sheath and holder card of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6` is a view of the sheath and holder card being combined with the cover;

FIG. 7 is a View of the completely assembled and permanently sealed cover with coin;

FIG. 8 is a sectional elevation taken along line 8 8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of an open conventional envelope;

FIG. 10 is a view of a cover blank in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 11 is an en-d view of the envelope of FIG. 10,in the process of being folded;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view showing a second folding step in folding the envelope of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a view of the inner side of a flat blank `for an alternate embodiment of the cover of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a view of a ilat cover blank of a further alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the folded blank of FIG. 14 in condition to receive a holder car-d;

FIG. 16 is a front face view of a further alternate embodiment of `a cover of the invention prior to mailing; and

FIG. 17 is a view of the embodiment of FIG. 16 in condition for receiving a holder card and coin.

In the views like parts are given like reference characters. Material thicknesses have been exaggerated for the purposes of clarity in illustration.

FIGS. 1-7, besides illustrating the coin package of the invention, also portray the preferred method of the invention. In FIG. 1 a folded but not sealed holder cover which has a front wall 11 and a closing flap 12 is shown after being processed by the Post Office. A conventional gumrned stamp I3 is adhered to the exterior of the flap but not to a front face 14 of the holder cover. Cancellation marks 1S are impinged upon the stamp and upon a portion of the cover face adjacent the stamp. A date mark 16 is also on front face Id, in conventional fashion.

The addressees name and other information appear in a removable area 1S of face Iii. The area is defined by a series of perforations 19. Preferably the perforations extend through both the front wall and the inner walls IIB and reverse walls IIC (see FIG. 8) of the envelope.

FIG. 2 illustrates a holder card ZI which has a coin recess 22 near one of its lower corners. Identifying indicia 23 are also printed on the holder card near the coin recess. In FIG. 3 holder' card 21 is shown combined with a coin 25 which lodges tightly within recess 22.

In FIG. 4 a sheath 28 of light-transmitting material such as polyethylene has a closed end 29 and an open end 30. Holder card 21 is inserted part way into the sheath in the figure and is moved in the direction of arrow 31 to accomplish complete sheathing. Coin 25 is visible through the light-transmitting walls of the sheath. `In FIG. 5 the card holder is encased within the sheath and open end 3@ has been sealed, preferably by heat sealing. In FIG. 4 obverse face 33 of the card holder is shown and in FIG. 5 the reverse face 34 of the holder is shown to illustrate the visibility of both sides of the coin within the sheath.

FIG. 6 illustrates the iirst step in combining the cover with the sheathed holder card. The address area I8 'and the similar areas of the other walls of the holder cover have been removed, leaving an aperture I9A extending through the holder cover. Flap 12 is folded back giving freedom to access opening 37. Card holder 21 is moved through access opening 37 into the cover in the direction of arrow 39. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the registry of the coin with respect to aperture 19A is such that not only the coin but most of the printed indicia on the holder card is visible through the aperture.

After the sheathed holder card is inserted, the flap is moistened and permanently adhered to front face 14 of the holder cover. The portion of the stamp projecting beyond the flap is also moistened so that it, too, adheres to the face. Since the cover was run through the post oce cancelling machine precisely in the orientation shown in FIG. 7, although the flap was not bonded t-o the face, cancellation lines 15 realign such that the appearance of the cover is of one which has been sealed prior to cancellation.

As can be seen from FIGS. 7 and 8, the cover of the invention has only the single exposed overlap area formed by glued flap 12 extending from folded edge 4MB. The other exterior edges of the cover are folded edges 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 which do not give access to the envelope. This is in contradistinction to the conventional envelope of FIG. 9 wherein there are three overlaps: the conventional glued access flap 47 and additional eX- terior glued flaps 4S, 49 on the envelope 50. The bonding agent 51 of the conventionally closed flaps and the agent 52 of the conventionally manipulated ap i7 are all subject to tampering, whereas the cover of the invention has only the single exteriorly bonded flap I2 which is doubly insured by stamp 13.

The invention thus makes possible the practice of the method wherein the closed but not sealed cover is first mailed for dating, then the aperture is created by removal of the areas of the holder cover bounded by perforations 19 after which the holder card containing the coin and encased in the sheath is placed in proper registry i within the envelope. Next follows permanent sealing of the single exterior flap 12 and reestablishment of the alignment of the cancellation marks on the cover face and on the stamp.

The holder cover shown in FIGS. 10-12 is substantially the same as that shown in FIGS. 1-8. In FIG. l0 the envelope is laid out flat in a sheet 55. The sheet is generally rectangular with a protruding ap 12. The blank is divided by spaced, horizontal fold lines 56, 57 and a central vertical fold line 58. Another vertical fold line 59 separates the ap from the rest of the sheet. Holder cover front wall 11 resides on one side of fold line 58 and rear wall 11C resides on the other side. Fold line 56 separates the front and rear walls from an inner wall portion which has a section 11B on each side of fold line 58. An inner stub wall 61 is divided from walls 11 and 11C by fold line 57 and subdivided by fold line 58.

The outer walls 11 and 11C have perforated rectangles 62, 63. The rectangles have rounded corners 64.

.Rectangle 62 contains the address of the person who receives the holder covers from the post oflice after they have been canceled and dated. It is therefore obvious that FIG. 10 shows the outer surfaces of the walls 11, 11C.

lEach inner wall section 11B has a perforated area 65, 66. Stub wall 61 has two perforated areas 67, 68. The perforations that define the areas are located such that when the blank is folded along the fold lines the perforations of areas 62, 65 and 67 coincide, as do the perforations defining areas 63, 66, 68.

The inner walls have strips 71 of bonding material, such as glue, at each end in the figure. Stub wall 61 has a continuous band 73 of adhesive material along its outer edge. To form the holder cover, the blank of FIG. 10 is first folded as shown in FIG. 11. When this fold is completed, the stub wall and the inner wall are adhered together by adhesive band 73, forming an envelope tube. The areas defined by the perforations are aligned in two groups coinciding with areas 62 and 63. The doubled blank is again folded along line 58, as shown in FIG. l2, and the glue strips 71 are brought into mutual contact such that the holder cover has the general configuration shown in FIG. 6. The fold lines 5659 define the outer edges of the cover thus formed without seams or flap overlaps. The only access to the envelope is through the opening at flap 12. After the cover has been postmarked the areas dened by the perforations may be removed to create the aperture 19A through which the mounted coin is visible on both obverse and reverse sides.

The embodiment of FIG. 10 is used in the process of the invention as described with respect to FIGS. 1-8.

A further alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 13 wherein `a holder cover blank 75 has fold lines 58 and 59 running vertically. FIG. 13 is a view of the opposite face of the cover blank from that shown in FIG. l0. Therefore, flap 12 is on the opposite side of the View and the adhesive strip 12A of the flap is visible. The locations of adhesive strips 71 are defined by the dotted lines along inner wall 11B and adhesive hand 73 is defined by dotted lines on stub Wall portion 6I. As in the previously described embodiment, fold lines 56 and 57 separate the inner walls and the stub wall from outer walls 11 and 11C.

Like the previous embodiment, each of the wall elements has a removable area circumscribed by perforations. The perforations are located within the wall segments such that the perforations coincide when the cover is folded to form the holder cover.

The removable areas 62A, 63 of the outer walls are covered by a light-transmitting membrane strip 81. The membrane strip is adhered to the inner face of the outer wall segments such that it entirely covers the boundary area around each of the perforated areas. Fold line 58 extends through the light-transmitting membrane, which may be of the standard material used in window envelopes or any other suitable material.

Each of the lines of perforation `around areas 62A, 63A is interrupted by a die cut finger flap 83. The other perforated areas may be similarly equipped or may be precut as apertures at the time the cover blank is cut from stock. After the holder cover is postmarked areas 62A and 63A may be removed by means of finger tabs 83 so that the coin enclosed may be visible through membrane strip 81 on both obverse and reverse faces.

Alternatively, the aperture areas of the cover blank of FIG. 13 may all be cut out at the time the blank is formed. It is then possible to `affix a removable strip to the area 62A that bears the addressee data and can be removed after postmarking. In accordance with another method the membrane strip may be printed with a spongeable ink to remove the address information and restore transparency after postmarking.

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate a further alternate embodiment of the holder cover in which a cover blank 91 has a flap 12 protruding from a blank rectangle which is divided by horizontal fold lines 56, 57 and vertical fold lines 58, 59. The outer faces of holder cover walls 11 and 11C are visible in the figure. Stub Wall 61 has cut-out spaces 92, 93 which coincide when folded with punch-out areas 94, 95 defined in outer walls 11 and 11C by perforations 96. Inner wall 98 is curtailed in its extension from fold lines 56 such that it does not cover any portion of the punchout areas when folded to form the envelope tube.

As can be seen from FIG. 15 (which is a vertical section through the embodiment of FIG. 14 after folding), doubled inner wall 98 terminates at 99 above the upper limit of punch-out areas 94 and 95. Cut-out areas 92, 93 coincide with the punch-out areas which are removed after the address area defined within the perforation 100 is no longer needed.

The embodiment of FIG. 14 has two adhesive strip areas. The first is strip 101 which extends near the upper edge of inner wall 98. The second strip 102 extends near the bottom edge of stub wall 61 and is discontinuous because of cut-outs 92, 93. As viewed in FIG. 14, the inner walls 61 and 98 are folded backward along the fold lines 57. and 56, respectively, and then the blank is folded along line 58 to bring the adhesive strips into a mutual contact. As a result of the adhesion between the strips, the fold lines define outer edges of the holder cover which are proof against tampering, since they are a folded edge which must be destroyed in order to gain access to the cover. Thus the only access is through that portion of the cover sealed by a flap 12.

The stub wall area 103 between cut-outs may be eliminated if desired to aid insertion of the holder card.

In FIGS. 16 and 17 a cover holder 105 similar in most respects to those previously described has an address area on front face 14 which is occupied by the addressee information in FIG. 16. Holder cover 105 has neither cut-outs nor punch-out areas at the time it is postmarked and dated. After being processed by the post office, and prior to the insertion of the desired coin, an aperture 19A is made in the flat walls of the envelope by excising the material containing the address information and the like areas of the walls adjacent thereto. Thus aperture 19A is one that extends completely through the holder cover. A sheath and. holder card assembly can then Vbe placed in the holder cover through the access opening sealed -by flap 12 and the aperture 19A then affords visible inspection of both sides of the enclosed coin. The coin is protected from damage or tampering by the sheath about the holder card. After the holder cover is sealed, access may only be gained to the coin by destruction of the bond between 6 the flap and front face 14 and destruction of the bond between the stamp 107 and the fro-nt face.

The foregoing description discloses various embodiments of the coin package and process of the invention. Other .modifications within the scope of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. rIherefore, we wish the foregoing disclosure to be regarded as illustrative only and we desire that the invention itself be measured by the-ap pended claims.

We claim:

1. A process for enclosing a coin in a tamper-proof en closure comprising the steps of forming a flat tubular envelope, folding the tubular envelope on a central line transversely of the tubular extent to form a holder cover having a single access opening and a single exterior overlap flap, alixing a postage stamp to the holder cover flap such that a portion of the stamp protrudes -beyond the ap free end, positioning the flap against the body of the holder cover in closed orientation, addressing the holder cover., depositing the holder cover in the mail, aifxing a post ofice date and cancellation mark to the cover body and the stamp while the flap is held in closed orientation, forming an aperture after receipt of the cover by addressee through the opposing walls of the holder cover, placing a coin in a holder card, placing the holder card and the coin ino the cover, interposing a light-transmitting membrane between the faces of the coin and the apertured walls of the cover, and permanently sealing the exterior flap and stamp to the holder cover.

'2. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the membrane is placed over the apertures before the coin is introduced into the holder cover.

3. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the membrane is sealed about the coin and holder card before the coin is introduced into the holder cover.

4. A coin holder assembly comprising a holder card, a coin receptacle in the card, a light-transmitting membrane on each side of the receptacle; a holder cover about the card and the membrane, an aperture in each of the exterior walls of the holder cover each in registry with the coin in the holder card, a single access opening in the holder cover, and an exterior flap on the cover adapted to be permanently sealed across the access opening to close said opening; said exterior flap being the only exposed seam `overlap o-f the coin holder cover; and said membrane combining with said holder cover so as to render the coin inaccessible except visually from the aperture.

5. The assembly in accordance with claim 4 wherein the light-transmitting membrane comprises a transparent plastic sheath enclosing the holder card and the coin, said sheath being sealed about its perimeter.

6. The assembly in accordance with claim 4 wherein the light-transmitting membrane comprises a transparent band affixed across the holder cover apertures interiorly of the holder cover.

7. The assembly in accordance with claim 4 wherein a postage stamp seals the flap to the holder cover, said stamp and said holder cover bearing a conventional postal cancellation and date coinciding with the date of first mint issue of the coin therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 453,252 6/1891 Theobald 229-68 1,003,478 9/1911 Logan 229-929 1,958,755 5/1934 Ihling 22992.5 3,093,296 6/1963 Wood 229-92.8 3,245,523 4/ 1966 White 206-.183

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner. JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Examiner. 

